Andrew Liszewski

Sometimes all a child needs is their favorite stuffed animal to fall asleep. Other times, it's not so easy. So Takara Tomy worked with Ikuo Honma—a cognitive and respiratory science researcher—to develop this plush Minnie Mouse doll with a realistic breathing mechanism that supposedly helps anyone drift off to sleep.

Besides a muted color scheme that helps calm the senses, the mechanism inside Minnie creates the feeling she's making slow deep breaths. And anyone snuggling up to the doll will eventually find themselves matching its slow breathing pattern, which has a calming effect that should make it easier to fall asleep. Hug and Dream Minnie will be available in Japan soon for around $50 (or $101 if you import it from the Japan Trend Shop) and isn't specifically being targeted at kids. So if work is leaving you too stressed to sleep at night, and you're not embarrassed by still sleeping with a teddy bear, it might be worth a shot. Or you could just hold out for the Deluxe Comfort Girlfriend Body Pillow version.